<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Written in late summer of 2022, this article aimed to provide an overview on the intra-EU cohesion of the EU Member States that transformed the communist system into a democratic market economy in 1988–90. The study analyses the economic background of these states for sustainable catching-up in the European Union. The result is a picture of a divided CEE area, where some states showed macroeconomic imbalances and economic growth, while others started to catch up with the solid background of the eurozone membership or its future perspective. In terms of most parameters, Hungary is in the first group but – together with Romania – is also facing serious macroeconomic difficulties.
</abstract>

The Situation of CEE Economies after the COVID-19 Crisis

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Our article examines the changes in the economic position of a Hungarian secondary city, Pécs, and its region in the post-crisis period from a labour productivity perspective. Our aim is to contrast results based on data of the city’s largest local firms from the Orbis Europe enterprise database with the results based on the EuroStat regional database. We assess local trends in a sectoral disaggregation and focus on the period between the two crises. Our results suggest that Pécs and its region face a persistent difficulty in attracting external resources and in retaining and generating endogenous resources.
</abstract>

Labour Productivity in a Central and Eastern European Secondary City – Evidence from Regional and Firm-Level Data

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In this paper, we introduce research results from our network-approach-based investigation of the European Union defence cooperation projects. After brief remarks on the background, the research problem, the conceptual and methodological issues, we focus on the structure of the cooperation network and introduce the territorial, institutional, and (sub)regional patterns of partnerships. The data analyses illustrate that an integrated but fragmented cooperation network could be explored, and in several aspects remarkable differences can be measured on country-, regional, and sub-regional levels implying that territorial and institutional factors might have an important role in this specific area as well.
</abstract>

Patterns of Cooperation in the European Defence Sector – A Network-Approach-Based Investigation of EU Projects

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The pharmaceutical market is in a constant state of dynamism. There have been many changes in the market recently, and the business environment has changed, one of the most important factors driving the market being consumer behaviour and habits. Trends towards a healthier lifestyle are reflected in changes in purchasing behaviour, with the consumption of dietary supplements becoming increasingly popular. Within the pharmaceutical supply chain, the analysis focuses on pharmacies. The aim of the study is to describe the market changes affecting pharmacy retailing, in particular the effects of changing consumer habits and more conscious purchasing and the impact of the strong presence of players outside the supply chain on pharmacy turnover.
</abstract>

Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Churched in Hungary

Market Changes in the Pharmaceutical Industry

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The 2010s saw a gradual improvement in economic growth in Hungary, which was noticeable in all regions. In this research, we examine the post-crisis economic development trends in a NUTS 3 level disaggregation in the context of the dependent market economy model. The research uses descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis to shed light on the main regional trends. Notable changes occurred mainly in the top and middle performing counties in terms of output, while the bottom of the ranking was characterized by stagnation. Territorial disparities have temporarily narrowed, but there has been no significant catching up of lagging regions.
</abstract>

Drivers of Regional Economic Growth in Hungary before and during the Pandemic Crisis

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In this study, we compare the socio-demographic background of Hungarian higher education students in the field of agriculture with that of students in other fields, and we also examine students’ career consciousness based on data from a large-sample survey conducted in Eastern Hungary in 2019. We found that in the field of agriculture 63.6% of the students were male and 64. 8% came from smaller settlements, which may be explained by the nature of the agricultural field. Regarding career consciousness, we found that while agricultural students come to higher education with the hope of obtaining a well-paying, high-prestige job, they usually do not engage in career-oriented activities and achievements during their studies.
</abstract>

PhD, Habil. Assistant Professor, University of Debrecen

PhDHabil. Associate Professor, University of Debrecen

Socio-demographic Background and Career Consciousness of Students in Agricultural Higher Education in Eastern Hungary

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Since the 1980s, almost all of the Hungarian narrow-gauge railway lines underwent a complete change of function. About 120-140 years ago, narrow-gauge railways were created mainly for economic purposes. Nowadays, with a few exceptions, freight operation is completely eliminated and replaced by tourism. In my study, I deal with two questions: on the one hand, I will examine the place of the existing narrow-gauge railways in the tourism system. In this context, I will present the tourism potential of narrow-gauge railways. These include, for example, the availability of narrow-gauge railways, their inclusion in the wider tourism system, the material conditions of the basic infrastructure of narrow-gauge railways, etc. On the other hand, by presenting four railway lines from South Transdanubia, I will examine how well the opportunities offered by tourism have been exploited at the local level, what the impact of narrow-gauge railways is on tourism, and what the tourism-related significance of these lines is at all. Based on my analysis, it can be concluded that the narrow-gauge railway sector is developing within the tourism system, and compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021), investments, technical developments, and attendance have also increased. It is also clear from the South Transdanubian cases that the narrow-gauge railway system is becoming more and more important especially where it can be connected to other tourist attractions (natural parks, forest schools, etc. ), which is also evident in the attendance indicators.
</abstract>

Exploitation of Narrow-Gauge Railways for Tourism in the South Transdanubian Region

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 22 (2022): Issue 1 (December 2022)

Volume 21 (2022): Issue 1 (November 2022)

Volume 20 (2021): Issue 1 (December 2021)

Volume 19 (2021): Issue 1 (November 2021)

Volume 18 (2020): Issue 1 (December 2020)

Volume 17 (2020): Issue 1 (October 2020)

Volume 16 (2019): Issue 1 (December 2019)

Volume 15 (2019): Issue 1 (November 2019)

Volume 14 (2018): Issue 1 (December 2018)

Volume 13 (2018): Issue 1 (December 2018)

Volume 12 (2017): Issue 1 (December 2017)

Volume 11 (2017): Issue 1 (September 2017)

Volume 10 (2016): Issue 1 (December 2016)

Volume 9 (2016): Issue 1 (October 2016)

Volume 8 (2015): Issue 1 (December 2015)

Volume 7 (2015): Issue 1 (August 2015)

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, European and Regional Studies

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, European and Regional Studies publishes original papers and surveys concerning the historical development, the economic, societal, political and philosophical dimensions of the European integration project. The European and Regional Studies series provides an independent forum for informed debate and discussion of European affairs.The printed and online versions of the papers are identical.  Why subscribe and read  Our journal publishes original and timely articles in the field of European and regional studies.  Why submit  Due to the multidisciplinary character of the European and regional studies, we accept articles from several fields. Besides this, publishing time is relatively short, providing so the topicality of the articles.  Rejection Rate   38%   Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.  Article Processing Charge (APC)  The journal does not have article processing charges (APCs) nor article submission charges. 